WM-Qualification as dress rehearsal

The EURO Basket 2022 gets underway next week. The European Basketball Championship, which is partly played in Cologne in the preliminary round and in Berlin in the final round, is the highlight of the year for the German national team. The last test, so to speak, is the World Cup qualifying game against the strong Slovenians on Sunday. After this match at the latest, coach Gordon Herbert will know where his team stands.

Towards the 2023 World Cup in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines, things are looking relatively good. In the final group phase, Germany will play in a group of six, from which the best three teams will secure their ticket to the Far East. The DBB giants are currently in first place with 6:1 victories. Currently, only the Finns are level on points and thus on a par.

The Slovenians have 5:2 wins on their account and are also well on their way to the World Cup. Israel, Sweden and Estonia are, as expected, already almost eliminated. Due to the comfortable situation in the standings, the pressure on Sunday in Munich’s Audi Dome is not particularly great. And that’s a good thing, because the German men are the clear underdogs. Before the tip-off between Germany and Slovenia, the forecast goes very clearly to an away win.

Our tested betting providers have only very low quotes on a success of the Slovenians in the offer. After all, the team around superstar Luka Doncic is one of the top favourites to win the EURO Basket title. Therefore, there is a clear tendency to place a bet on a victory of the visitors between Germany and Slovenia.

Germany – Statistics & current form

It is very difficult to judge whether the German team will make a splash at the European Championship on home soil. On a good day, Gordon Herbert’s team can certainly keep up with the best teams in Europe. However, everything has to fit together. The DBB team is probably better put together than it has been for a long time.

The results are right

The results are also impressive. After all, the German team has won nine of the last ten international matches. The victories, however, were more against weaker teams. Against Serbia, also one of the top favourites, the German basketball team suffered a severe defeat in the Super Cup last weekend.

The Slovenians play in roughly the same league as the Serbs and that is why we also look at the odds for HT/FT of the guests before the match between Germany and Slovenia. After all, the German team scored a commanding victory in the World Cup qualifier in Sweden on the thunderbolt. In the end, the score was 67:50. Franz Wagner and Dennis Schröder were the most successful scorers for Germany.

However, it is still noticeable that the offensive is not going well. The German team is not scoring enough baskets. Nevertheless, it was enough against Sweden. On Sunday, the shooting percentage has to improve significantly. Daniel Theis will still be absent. The forward from the Boston Celtics is expected to be fit again for the European Championship. Moritz Wagner and Paul Zipser are also missing.

Predicted squad of Germany:
Giffey, Hollatz, Krämer, Lo, Obst, Sengfelder, Schröder, Thiemann, Voigtmann, F. Wagner, Weiler-Babb, Wohlfahrt-Bottermann – Coach: Herbert

Slovenia – Statistics & current form

Slovenia’s game is very much tailored to Luka Doncic. You might think that all you have to do is shut down the Dallas Mavericks point guard to get the upper hand against the reigning European champions. But a man of that quality is impossible to shut down over four quarters. Moreover, Doncic has at least two congenial partners at his side in Goran Dragic or Vlatko Cancar, who have also left their mark in the NBA.

Ten wins in a row

When the Slovenians are at their best, this team is one of the best in the world. Accordingly, Aleksander Sekulic’s team now has ten wins to its name. We expect that this series can be extended on Sunday in Munich. Therefore, we are sticking to our forecast of a win for the visitors in the match between Germany and Slovenia.

The Slovenians had to cope with a compulsory task against Estonia in their own hall on Thursday. Once again it was Luka Doncic who convinced with a double-double, scoring a total of 25 points and eleven rebounds. In the end, the score was 104:83, which shows that the Slovenians have much less problems putting the ball in the basket.

Cross-comparisons are not really allowed, but the Slovenians proved their role as favourites at the European Championship a little more than a week ago with a victory against Serbia. Therefore, one should not expect any miracles from the German team on Sunday. The Slovenians, on the other hand, have taken a lot of euphoria from their home fans with them on their journey to the European Championship with their last success in Celje.

Predicted squad of Slovenia:
Blazic, Cancar, Doncic, Nikolic, Tobey, Dimec, G. Dragic, Z. Dragic, Hrovat, Muric, Prepelic, Samar – Coach: Sekulic

Germany – Slovenia Direct comparison / H2H-Balance

To date, the paths of the German and Slovenian teams have only crossed five times. However, two matches are scheduled within a little more than a week. On Sunday there will be a duel in the World Cup qualifiers. On 6 September, both teams will meet in the preliminary round of the EURO Basket. In the duels so far, the Germans have done better.

After victories, the DBB giants lead 3:2. The last duel was a good year ago. At the Tokyo Olympics, they met in the quarter-finals, which Germany only reached with a lot of luck. The Slovenians outclassed the German team with 94:70. Zoran Dragic was the outstanding man on the board. However, it was not enough for the Slovenians to win a medal at the Olympics.

Germany – Slovenia tip

Of course it’s a World Cup qualifier on Sunday, but even if Germany lose to the Slovenians, they still have a good chance of playing in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines next year. That’s why national coach Gordon Herbert will want to use the opportunity to put the finishing touches to the home European Championships, which will begin next week.

The Slovenians will also qualify for the World Championships. Therefore, it is also important for the European champions to get into the swing of things before their mission to defend their title. The Slovenians are in an extremely good mood and have won their last ten international matches.

However, the German team is also in good form and has won nine of the last ten games. However, the absences of Moritz Wagner and Daniel Theis are unlikely to be compensated against a world-class team. However, we think that the DBB men will not be completely dismantled and have decided to play the betting odds on a handicap victory (+8.5 points) for the German men between Germany and Slovenia.